Newton's 3rd Law
by CSIflea
Summary: Danny learns that for every action there is always a reaction. Can Mac survive when someone goes for revenge against Danny? Why does Lindsay have the key to his survival? pls r & r!
1. Chapter 1

Their feet were pounding on the pavement with Mac in the lead and Don following behind. Mac had a head start because Don took the wrong corner and ended up colliding with an old lady. Don was running full speed ahead and didn't notice the trolley before it was too late. The impact sent him to the ground with a loud curse and it took him a while to get up. As he looked up he saw Mac following the suspect into an alley. Don got up and jogged to the alley because running would have hurt too much. In any ways Mac could definitely handle himself – no doubt about that.

As Don came around the corner, however, he didn't see Mac anywhere. He called out to him without reply. Don didn't like this one bit and walked around the dumpster hoping and praying that he wouldn't find Mac laying there. But nothing.

"Where the hell is he?" Don wonders aloud. He takes out his phone and dials the familiar number. As he waits for Mac to answer he hears Mac's ringtone. From inside the dumpster. Don moves to open the lid and with an apprehensive feeling he opens the lid and there laid down l=neatly is Mac's phone, gun, wallet and shield. "What the ...?" the rest of his sentence is drowned out by the sound of a car speeding away. Don ran to the end of the alley and look out into the street – in time to see the car speed around the corner. "Damn, this isn't good!" Don reaches for his radio and calls it in. Then tries to phone someone from the team – with shaking fingers he dials Jo only to get a busy signal. Next he tries Danny, he hears him answer but then nothing. Who else can he phone? Sheldon is in Las Vegas with a seminar about bugs and Lindsay has the day off. Reluctantly he phones Lindsay and she answers with a cheerful "Hi, Flack, you do know I'm off don't you?"

"Yeah, Linds, I know. But listen I need help. Mac is missing and I can't get hold of anyone else."

"Oh shit, give me the address and I'll be right there. Luckily Lucy is still at school."

"Thanks, "Don gave her the address "see you soon."

After Lindsay hung up he turns around to secure the scene. "Mac where the hell are you?"

###Like it? Pls R&R. I don't own them, I just play with them. I have been playing with this idea for a while, I know its short but its a start just enough to get you going. Enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

##Heya, well here's chapter two. i hope that you enjoy it. i would really like to hear from you. oh and BTW, my first language is not English so excuse the mistakes. Also I dont own any of the show characters, the rest i think belong to me or maybe i belong to them? dont know, anyway, enjoy...

While Don was frantically trying not to panic (with not much success) Jo was getting frustrated at her crime scene. Not only did some genius use a fire hose on the ENTIRE crime scene, she was also stuck with the most inconsiderate, annoying and just plain idiot officer imaginable.

The SOB was ticked off because what he had hoped to be an open and shut case turned out to be murder causing his shift to go into overtime which meant he will miss out on the date with that hot girl he met a couple of weeks ago. Jo's harsh voice pulled the officer right back to reality, a reality in which he cringed inwardly at the look he got from Jo Danville.

"I'm sure this unfortunate young girl didn't mean to ruin your plans tonight, getting murder and all. But please go irritate someone else with your sulking so that I can work and get some justice for this poor girl." Jo spat the words while secretly hoping the guy would have another go. As she looked at the retreating figure she heard a faint chuckle and looked at Sid just in time to see him trying to hide a smile.

"What?"

"Just glad I'm not on your bad side, it's all. Well I'm done here, see you in a couple of hours," Sid said while waving an assistant over to help transport the body, "oh and Jo, don't be too hard on the uni's they are only human."

Jo couldn't help but smile at Sid's words, "fine, no promises though." After a couple of minutes Sid was gone and Jo started processing the scene. She was photographing something near the wall of the alley when she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out and saw Don's number flash across the screen but when she answered it, only silence greeted her.

"The signals aren't too good here sweetie," Jo spun around to look at the source of the voice to find an old lady smiling at her. Jo smiled her thanks and made a mental note to call Don back later she went on with her work not paying attention as the lady walked away and transformed back into the young woman under the wig…..

Danny looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but envy Lindsay at home. He had a lot of ground to cover as his scene stretched a good couple of miles in every direction a person could think of. To top it off – it was central park. Luckily he had Adam to help him out. Still it was a tedious process which took them what felt like forever.

Suddenly his phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket. Just as he answered it, his battery gave up the fight and died. "Damn, forgot to charge the thing." Danny said to Adam.

"Who was it?" Adam said reaching for his own phone in his pocket only to find it with no bars.

"Don, I wonder what he wanted. Wasn't he and Mac going to interview that suspect across town?" when he didn't get a response, Danny turned around to find Adam holding his phone up with a frown on his face. "Adam, yo Adam!" Danny shouted to get Adam's attention; he turned around and looked at Danny.

"It's not a blind spot. Why don't I have a signal?" Adam turned to Danny perplexed.

"Maybe the tower is off. Look, how about we finish this scene and get back to the lab and you can play your magic on your computers and find out?"

"Yeah, sure, ok." Adam was still frowning but took the camera and went about his business collecting and documenting evidence.

Danny looked at the spot where the body was, and spotted something on the ground. He picked it up with his gloved hand forgetting about the phone call he got from Don, he was focused on the evidence in his hand and the feeling that this day was going to get much, much worse…

Phillip looked at the detective picking up the evidence and smiled. His phone rang and he answered,

"Yeah," he listened for a while and his smile grew into a full blown grin, "excellent, excellent. Get our guest ready, I will be there soon." He looked back at the scene below him and whispered, "go about your business Messer and have fun, I'm going to have mine making your life miserable." With that he turned around, went to his car and drove off.

The trip to consciousness was long and slow, but he was getting there. The first thing he tried to do was rub his face but he couldn't lift his hand. After a minute or two of panic, he dug deep and took a deep breath. Mac opened his eyes but realised the room he was in was completely dark. He was sitting in a chair and his hands and feet were tied tightly to a chair. His feet were bare and his shirt was missing. He didn't have a gag at least. Mac tried to look around but he couldn't see a thing.

Not long after he woke up, a light went on. The spotlight was shining right in his face, blinding him. Before he could say or do anything a hand grabbed him around his throat choking him while another hand sprayed him with pepper spray. While he was choking and sputtering, Mac was untied and dragged to another room. This room was too bright and it burnt his already sensitive eyes.

Barely a minute later he was strapped to a chair that felt similar to a dentist's chair. His hands were splayed out and each finger tied down individually on both hands. His knees were strapped and there was a broad leather strap across his chest. The same hand that choked him earlier appeared again but this time it held a cable tie that went around Mac's neck and tied tightly, effectively cutting off his ability to speak. This left him glaring at the men around him through half open eyes.

Suddenly he heard laughter coming from the door and a man came walking into the room. He was a heavy set man with salt and pepper hair. His face had hard lines on them which, with his grey eyes, made him look evil.

"Hi, detective," this guy was a little too happy, "I was so glad that I got you instead of someone else, I know that Messer respects you a lot. Unfortunately, while I have my fun, you won't be." He picked up his phone and made a phone call.

"Mrs Messer, I can't get a hold of your husband so I will give you my message. I want you to listen and not interrupt me. Taylor will pay for your husband's actions. Listen carefully, Mrs Messer, the next thing you will hear will show you how serious we are." At this point the man held the phone close to Mac's mouth and nodded to one of the other men in the room. Goon 1 (as Mac named the man) picked up a small hammer from a table in the corner and moved to Mac's hand. Try as he might, Mac couldn't get his breathing under control, he tried to move away but couldn't do that either. The hammer came down, once, twice by the third time a groan escaped his mouth causing Lindsay to scream his name. When he was done with Mac's one hand, he moved over to the next one, and after another couple of hits, Mac couldn't stop the scream that bubbled up in his throat.

He heard evil laughter and Lindsay screaming his name through a blaze of pain, after hit number ten everything went black, and Mac passed out cold…..

***so what do you think? pls let me know. this one was a little longer. see you next week!***


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Heya, sorry i didn't up load yesterday like i should! but i was on a bus last nite on my way to my Grandpa in a very cold Free State (in the heart of South Africa). so i'm hoping to update a little faster no promises though! this chapter gave me a little grieve, and i am a little worried about it.

Again these characters are not mine, i just play with them - ill put them back as soon as i'm done. without further ado, enjoy...

Lindsay was looking around the alley. She spotted some scuff marks on the ground and followed it to a door to the side. She photographed them and documented it. Next she looked at the blood on the wall. Experience has taught her well and she could see that the blood was mixed with saliva-meaning someone was punched and the blood came out of their mouth. Lindsay took a sample after documenting it and put it with the other evidence. She looked up and saw Don standing by the dustbin that he had found Mac's things in. A thought occurred to her and she thought about it for a while before clearing her throat to get Don's attention.

"Don, have you considered the possibility that Mac might have gotten caught in an undercover thing? Or maybe he went with this guy willingly? It won't be the first time he did something like that." Silence greeted her and she looked up finding Don staring at her.

He answered after a while, "yeah, I have thought about that. But I don't know Linds, something is not right here. I mean, I can't get a hold of anybody that on shift. Everybody is out at a crime scene on the same day we interview this guy and all of a sudden Mac, disappears? It just doesn't make sense, you know? My gut is telling me something isn't right here."

Lindsay kept a straight face as she said, "would that be your spidey senses coming out Don?"

Don laughed at that but didn't reply. Lindsay sobered up and said, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Suddenly her eyes caught something on the ground. It was blood drops. Someone was standing stationary at that spot and he or she was injured. She bent down to take a sample but her phone rang and she stopped mid action. "Messer?"

Don had to smile at that, Danny and Lindsay answered their phone the same, his smile faded as he saw the look on Lindsay's face. At first there was silence but the silence was shattered with Lindsay shouting Mac's name over and over again. The other officers stopped talking and looked at Lindsay while Don made a bee line for her side, he reached her just in time to hear Mac's scream on the other side of the phone. The line went dead and Don looked at Lindsay questioningly.

"Mac was kidnapped. Whoever did this is doing it because of something that Danny did." She looked at Don with tears in her eyes, "They just broke all his fingers as a message that they mean business."

Don could only stare at her in silence.

Two hours later Jo met Danny in the parking lot as they both stepped out of their cars, they made eye contact and smiled. Funny how synced they were. When they got to the elevator, Jo cleared her throat and stared straight ahead, staring at the closed doors.

"I know this will probably sound really stupid, but" Jo risked a glance in Danny's direction to find him and Adam staring at her in anticipation, "I've had this feeling the whole day, you know?"

Danny nodded, he knew because he had the same feeling. "Something isn't right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what." Jo ground her teeth in frustration. She hadn't been able to get in touch with Don or Mac the whole day and it was working on her nerves. Mac had become her best friend and when she really wanted to talk to him, he wasn't answering his damn phone.

Adam was still looking at his phone in confusion, still no bars – something smelt fishy.

Just then they walked into the lab to find everyone looking worried and running around. They found Don sitting with his hands in his hair in the break room.

"Don what's wrong?" Danny asked suddenly feeling worried.

"Let's wait for Lindsay, she went to get Lucy and take her to her mother's." Don looked like he would cry any moment.

Danny frowned, he knew that Lindsay's mother was in town but it was Lindsay's day off, why do they have to wait for her? What was she doing at work? He looked at Don; his eyes searching Don's blue ones for an answer but Don just shook his head and closed his eyes.

Jo shared a look with Danny and shrugged her shoulders; a lab tech ran into the room almost running Adam over, who was watching the whole scene with apprehension. The poor tech had a shocked look on his face but Don had the report out of his hands before he could say anything.

"oh, damn, no" Don sank into the nearest chair, Jo grabbed the report and paled,

"the blood sample is a match to Mac Taylor. No, actually both samples match his but the second sample had saliva mixed in which diluted the sample a bit." Danny gave Jo a 'wtf' look but before he could ask or Jo could say anything, Lindsay's voice cut through them from the door.

"I hoped that the one with saliva was somebody else's. Don this means we have no idea who this is." She paused as she looked at the others, and started to explain with a grim look, "Don couldn't reach any of you so he called me. Mac went missing and before you ask, yes, we did make sure before panicking." She took a deep breath and shared a knowing look with Don, this next part was not going to be easy. " I got a phone call from the kidnappers. They said that they couldn't reach Danny and they wanted to relay a message- they blame you for something, honey. They said that Mac will pay for what you did."

Jo looked curios and Danny sported a horrified look. "Are you sure?" Lindsay just nodded.

"What makes you think that they are serious? I mean for all we know they are just keeping him somewhere." Jo sounded hopeful, Adam's mind was racing but he kept quiet-not saying a word.

"They broke all his fingers, Jo, I think they are serious." Don spoke up, his voice hoarse.

"For all you know they could have done nothing, I mean you didn't see anything did you?" Jo was grasping at straw and she knew it but her mind said she had to try. She had to try anything.

Lindsay shook her head and said, "Jo, I heard him scream over the phone, and it was real." She ran over to Danny and buried her face in his chest; he was so shocked by the revelation that he could only fold his arms around her as she cried. Adam just sat down next to Don. Jo squared her shoulders and said, "Well we are going to find him and whoever these bastards are, they will pay."

The venom in her voice was deadly.

When Mac woke up he thought for a second that everything was just a dream, but then the fire in his hands assaulted him. The memories came flooding back and he groaned. When he tried to lift his head to look at his hands he found that his head was tied to the chair. He moved his eyes around but everything was blurry, the skin around his eyes burned, "the pepper spray" he thought wryly. Mac tried to take stock of his situation, mentally, so he closed his eyes. His hands burned and stung, he knew that most if not all his fingers are broken. Swallowing was a task and a half so that cable tie was still around his throat. His left shoulder throbbed dully where that dart hit him and the side of his mouth stung that could only mean he was the proud owner of a nice bruise no doubt. With difficulty he tried to remember what happened before he woke up in that chair, how long ago he wasn't sure. He opened his eyes again, but it the room was still dimly lit and everything was still blurry. He closed his useless eyes. He let his mind wonder to the last time he could move around freely…

*****Flashback*****

_Mac ran faster as he saw his suspect disappear into the alley, he wasn't worried because Don was right behind him, wasn't he?_

_As he turned the corner he couldn't see Jordan Pinch. He drew his gun and walked further into the alley cautiously. Suddenly there was a whoosh of air near his ear and a sharp pain in his left shoulder making him take a step back. Pinch appeared in front of him and sucker punched him before he could do anything. In a daze Mac felt rough hands tie his legs together at the ankles and his hands behind his back. Other hands went through his pockets, stripping him of his phone, wallet and shield. Mac shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs just as hands picked him up and dragged him through a door leading out of the alley. At the same time he started struggling and a rough hand went over his mouth as a voice whispered in his ear:_

"_If you don't want your friend to end up dead, you will be more co-operative, detective."_

_Don- why was he so far behind? Mac stopped his struggling but continued to glare at his captors as he was pushed into the trunk of the dark SUV standing in what looked like an abandoned warehouse._

_A bearded face smiled down at him as a needle came out of the face's pocket. Mac tried to move back but with his hands and feet tied he wasn't very successful. It felt like an eternity before the needle hit its mark. In the seconds before the blackness swallowed him whole was car doors slamming and the squealing of tyres as the car sped out of the warehouse and away from Don. Mac remembered no more until he opened his eyes in the chair. That was when his nightmare started._

****Back to reality***

Mac took a breath but even that hurt through his restricted throat. All of a sudden lights came on above him, giving him the impression of an operating table. For some reason that made him shudder. He felt people around him before he saw them. He tried to open his mouth to say something but nothing came out but a few garbled sounds. He felt someone pushing something into his left ear, he tried to struggle he really did but he couldn't, not while he was tied down and at the mercy of someone else. He could feel the pressure in his left ear and suddenly that same pressure was in his right ear. What the hell? What the fuck is going on here?

Suddenly the tie that kept his head in place disappeared and he felt someone grip his hair and lifting his head up. That hand stayed in place as another began to wrap a bandage around his head, covering his eyes and ears. When they were done the hand let go of his hair and he dropped his head back to the headrest of the chair. Mac knew he was in trouble know, serious trouble. He couldn't see or hear anything. He was completely disorientated.

"Detective Taylor, you are probably wondering what is going on here. And I will tell you, in time but not now. You will hear what I want you to hear. The earpieces will make sure of that, I am the only one with a mouthpiece to communicate with you. I do not want you to see anything." Silence, Mac's mind was reeling, who is this guy?

"Oh and one last thing, you didn't do anything to me but your friend Danny Messer did. You are aware of Newton's 3rd law I'm sure. This is that law in practise now, he did something to me so I'm doing something to you. I'm gonna have fun with you." The silence was deafening. Mac suddenly felt hands around his neck. What are they doing? A collar? What am I? A dog? All these questions went through his mind as he tried to struggle in vain to get rid of the hands around his neck.

The ties around the rest of his body were loosened and Mac took a chance, he was getting desperate. Mac lunged forward and regretted the move almost immediately. All the ties was removed except one around his right ankle, and he face planted, twisting his ankle painfully. As he was laying on the floor in agony hands wrapped a belt around his middle, they captured his hands and put them into leather cuffs located on the sides of the belt.

"That wasn't a very smart move, Detective. Now I have to punish you more than what I intended. Now co-operate or your stay will end faster than its supposed to."

After that Mac had little choice but get up and follow the 'leash' as he was pulled a long a corridor.

Phillip looked at Taylor struggling with pity. He was desperate, you could see it, but its all in vain. After his last message Taylor calmed down and let the men lead him to the next stage. Phillip took out his phone and followed his men.

He took a picture of Taylor. He was standing in the middle of the room with a chain connected from the ceiling to the collar around his neck. He sent the picture to Lindsay Messer but then he dialled Danny.

"Listen Messer, have fun and pay attention. You hurt my father, now I'm hurting yours." He held the phone out careful not to get in the way of the whip that was singing and connecting with Taylor's body.

The sound of whip meet flesh was loud enough in the room to be loud and clear over the phone. Phillip knew that Messer heard the sound and the grunts and shouts coming from Taylor. He laughed into the phone and disconnected.

*** well? what do you think? pls let me know. i like all the reviews and on that note, thanks to all who did review the last chapters. pls pls? pls review? with cherries on top?

The fun is just beginning he though with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4! yeay, please remember that i do not own any of the regocnizable characters - i do own the baddies *evil laugh*, also i make no money out of this i merely give my imagination free reign. so i thought i will spoil you with another chapter this week to keep you occupied till the next one! have fun

Phillip looked on as Mac Taylor's head dropped as low as it could go. Blood was flowing freely from his arms and back, he looked pale under the bandage that covered his eyes and ears. He had told his men to stop a while ago but Taylor was still conscious then. He probably gave up the fight.

"Take him to the room at the end, make sure he doesn't get anywhere near the door, it doesn't lock properly and we don't want him to leave just yet."

His men nodded. Well, almost all of them. Freddy looked green, and just slightly unsure. Phillip grabbed him as he went to follow the other three out of the room.

"Am I going to have a problem with you?"

Freddy swallowed, "no, sir." He kept his eyes to the ground.

"Good, because what I will do to you is nothing compared to what I am doing to Taylor. You get me?"

"Yes, sir." Freddy shivered and ran out the door as quick as he could. Phillip followed and reached the door just as his men finished locking the chain to the wall. The chain was connected to Taylor's 'necklace'. Philip drank in the site, he was enjoying this. He enjoyed seeing the man suffer, the man who was like a father to Messer. He stood there looking at the man laying lax on the floor and thought back to the day he heard about Messer for the first time.

****Flashback****

_Phillip was sitting in the nice living room of his house drinking his afternoon tea-he had a good life. His father had helped him to build a nice empire and none of it legal. He was along with his father one of the biggest crime bosses of New York. He was damn proud of it too. Then the phone call came that shattered his entire life – a damn cop had tried to arrest his father and a chase followed. His father was fit for his age but not fit enough apparently. The cop had him cornered on the roof of a building; his father fell from the roof breaking almost every bone in his body. He wasn't dead though. Three years of painful suffering had resulted in his father committing suicide. A great man turned into an old man that couldn't even do basic things for himself. Phillip had vowed revenge the minute the doctors informed him that his father had taken his own life. He found out the name of the sewage cat that had caused his father to suffer. He will make him suffer and feel the pain of watching your father die slowly and painfully. Danny Messer will pay._

_**End of flashback**_

Almost two months later the plan was working perfectly.

"Take off the cable tie," he looked at Freddy as he spoke "I don't want him to suffocate. Put some duct tape around his mouth. The show will continue later."

With that Phillip turned around and walked out of the room leaving Freddy to carry out his orders.

Freddy Monroe had a good family back in Montana. He came to New York to try and make it big like his cousin. He got a job soon enough, even made some really good friends. But doing a favour for his so called best friend had resulted in him breaking the law. Now it was held over his head. How was he supposed to know there was ivory on the back of that truck? Rhino's Horn and Elephant tusks, he just didn't know what else. He knelt in front of the man lying on the floor. Freddy turned the guy onto his less injured side, trying to make him comfortable. He felt sorry for the guy he only knew as Taylor no one deserved to suffer like this but he had no choice, he couldn't tarnish the Monroe name – his parents will be devastated. He cut quickly through the cable tie and grimaced at the ugly red mark around the poor man's neck, in some places blood was dripping out. He whispered a soft "Sorry" as the man groaned. He could hear soft sounds coming from the man's lips which were barely moving. Freddy leaned closer to hear what the man was saying. What he heard broke his heart in two. He considered phoning the police- he knew that his cousin worked at the crime lab. But would she be able to help him? Does she even know this man? Who the hell was Danny Messer?

"Hold on dude, it will be over soon." He said as he pushed the duct tape in place.

The man had said: "Help me."

Lindsay held on to Danny as she cried. Mac sounded horrible over the phone and the picture she got not much better. Danny stood staring at that same photo now. Jo had lost all her optimism and Don just sat there. Everybody too shocked to do anything – they had all heard the call. Adam left without anyone noticing.

Adam first went to his computer and looked through his phone. He found a trace that creates a barrier to scramble signals. The reason why he didn't have a signal the whole day. He then looked over the evidence that he and Danny brought in from their crime scene. He tested some of the samples that all came back to the victim, a Gerald Hoff. Even freakier is the fact that Gerald Hoff died of a heart attack the day before yesterday. He wanted to check Jo's evidence but decided against it as it might compromise whatever she had.

Adam hated going to the morgue but if his suspicions are correct, the answer they needed was there, with the body. He heard Danny call his name just as the elevator doors closed.

In the break room the CSI's stood like statues. Nobody moved or said a word. They were all too shocked to say or do anything. Then like a gunshot, they started coming to their senses.

"OK people," Jo said at last, "this is what we are going to do. Danny, you and Lindsay try to trace the call. Maybe just maybe we can get info on a possible location. Get Adam to go through the evidence that you guys collected on the crime scene this morning." She turned to Don, "Tell me what went down this morning? There has to be something we can run with. I just need to get a tech working on the evidence I collected at my crime scene."

Don got up and left to get coffee, Jo also left and grabbed the first tech she could find while Danny and Lindsay started throwing ideas around.

Danny left the room to go look for Adam to find him leaving, he called out to him but the elevator doors closed before he reached him. "That's weird. I wonder where he is off to?" Danny shrugged and went back to Lindsay who was looking at her phone thoughtfully. "What's up, babe?" Lindsay looked at Danny and smiled.

"Do you think we should call Sheldon? I mean he would like to know what's going on."

"He's in Las Vegas right? On that seminar?"

"Yeah, a doctor Gil Grissom is having a talk about how bugs can help in a crime scene."

Danny smiled, "Sounds to me something that you would go to and not Hawkes." He artfully dodged the kick, Lindsay sent his way. "I think you should call him, he would want to know."

"Yeah, I think I will call him now. Why don't you go see if you can get that trace going, then I will phone Hawkes?" Danny nodded and walked to the lab.

Lindsay played with her phone for a while, dialled Hawkes's number and waited for him to answer.

When Don came back he found Jo sitting in Mac's office. She was sitting on the couch staring at the empty chair behind the desk. Don cleared his throat to get her attention.

"You know, before I came to work here, I never understood how people that are completely different can get together and work together- not like a team, but more like family. I mean, sure in the FBI we worked as teams but the minute the case is over or you walk out the front door, you are just a stranger. Nothing more, nothing less. But here, we are a family. You guys accepted me like another sister. But now I feel so lost, the whole team, I mean, what if we don't find him, Don I don't think I can lose him."

Don stood there shell shocked, he didn't expect this. What the hell is he supposed to say? Or do? Lindsay is good with stuff like this, not Don Flack. He took a deep breath and went to sit down next to Jo. He put his arm around her shoulders and spoke from his heart.

"Jo, you are more than a sister on this team. You are the mother, Mac is our father. You say we are a family? Damn right we are, and if there is anything that Mac has taught me in all the years I know him, it's that we take care of our family. You say that we are lost and maybe we are but I will tell you this: Mac needs us now and what we are going to do is find him. We find him and then we stand by him until we can put this whole shit cake behind us."

"You can never be lost with family, Jo, never." Lindsay had come into the room without anybody hearing followed closely by Danny. "Don's right and so is Lindsay. We will find him and we will get through this."

Adam ran into the room clearly out of breath. He looked around the room catching on to what was going on in the room. He took a deep breath and said: "I might have a lead but I need to look at your evidence, Jo. Sorry to break this up but if I am right; this whole day was a setup."

Mac's trip back to the conscious world was like swimming through mud. He struggled and tried to gather enough strength to open his eyes but found only darkness. Did he have his eyes open? Where the hell was he? He started struggling against whatever had his hands trapped but regretted the move instantly as hot pain sliced through him. He lay on a floor he knew that much but…Shit! The memories came back. Who the hell was this guy? He remembered the whip and then he passed out. He didn't know how long he was out but he woke up when someone was cutting through the cable tie around his neck, he tried to talk then but only felt a hand on his shoulder before the tape was put on his mouth. He passed out again – and woke up now.

"I see you are awake, Detective." That voice sounded like it was coming from inside his head, "right now your so called friend, Danny Messer, is probably worried about you." Suddenly hard hands grabbed Mac's shoulders and picked him up so he could sit against the wall and they were not gentle about it. He groaned as his back connected with the wall hard.

"So Taylor, I will tell you what. I will make a deal with you. If you behave, you can have something to eat and drink. You will not talk or make a sound; you will still be connected to the wall. Nod if you agree to our deal." Mac nodded. "OK, enjoy your meal; it might be the last for a while."

Mac had to play this smart; he needed his strength if he wanted to survive this mess, so he decided to play nice. His hands were untied and the tape pulled from his mouth.

"Your food is to your left and the water to your right. You have 5 min then I will be back."

Mac felt around and got the plate in his hand. It was cold oatmeal. He felt around for a spoon and naturally didn't find one. It was hard to eat with your eyes closed and he was sure that most of the food ended on the floor, however some of it did make it to his mouth making him realise just how hungry he was. When was the last time he ate? There wasn't that much food in the plate and he felt for the water. The water tasted muddy but he didn't say a word and drank as much as he could stomach.

"Well done Taylor. You are behaving very good. Freddy here will take you to the bathroom and then we will play some more of my game." Mac felt hands on the chain and then hands helped him up; these hands were not as hard as the other hands. A new tape was put over his mouth and his hands were handcuffed in front of him. He was led down a corridor and into the bathroom. Freddy helped him all the way, which was oddly strange – Why was this man helping him? What was his plan? On the way back, Mac felt something warm run down his back. He knew what it was but there was nothing he could do about it, he was a prisoner because of this psychopath. Mac remembered what the guy had said about Danny, suddenly he felt scared not for himself but for Danny. What was this guy doing to Danny? Was Danny here? What was going on?

Mac had been so lost in thought he didn't even realise they had stopped walking; he could feel a breeze and the sun on his skin. They were outside, but why?

"Taylor, I thought you needed some air. You will spend the day here; nobody can see or hear you so don't waste your breath or strength by trying something."

Mac's hands were untied and stretched out to the side. Each wrist was tied to a pole; this meant he would be standing like this the whole day, no doubt about that.

Minutes turned to hours and Mac started to feel the strain in his shoulders. The sun was baking him to a crisp and it only aggravated the open wounds on his back. He sagged and felt a sickening pop in his left shoulder. He shouted into the duct tape but no sound came out. He was going to die and he knew it.

Freddy felt really sorry for the man he had helped to the bathroom. You could see the lines of pain and exhaustion on his face. Right now he was staring out the window at Taylor, he was sagged between the two poles and he heard his shoulder pop. He heard Phillip coming to a stop behind him.

"Take him back to his room. The bastard is tough; we might want to start drastic measures tomorrow." Freddy nodded and walked out the door. He knew that Phillip was watching him so he tried to be as rough as he could without being too harsh. He tied his hands back to his sides ignoring the grunts from Taylor. He knew that shoulder must be killing him. He led him back to the room; half dragged him at some point. Taylor fell to the floor and just lay there. Freddy secured him to the wall and helped him sit up straight. Without a further word or sound he left the man in the dark room and closed the door. He found Phillip standing outside the door with his phone in his hand and he was smiling.

"Messer is getting rude, tomorrow I will teach him a lesson." With that he left and Freddy had made up his mind.

He took his leave of the people and went to his crappy apartment not too far from the hide out. He took out his burn phone and phoned his mother getting Lindsay's number from her. Freddy sat with his phone in his hands wondering how he was going to start his text. He closed his eyes and started texting:

'_Hey Lind, long time no see,_

_How about some coffee sometime?_

_Let me know, and we can get together and maybe _

_You can tell me about your new life._

_Love, Freddy.'_

Freddy rubbed his eyes and through the phone back into the hiding spot he kept it in. hopefully Lindsay can help him out of this mess. And maybe she could help him help Taylor…..

So what do you think? pls R&R, i really appreciate all the reviews and the alerts, you guys rock! i will try to update my NCIS story tomorrow as well so anybody reading 'where loyalties lie' hold thumbs! enjoy


	5. Chapter 5

**A/ N= Heya guys! First i want to apologize for waiting sooooooo long to update but RL got in the way! School started again and with planning and getting the kids settled things were a little crazy. but here we go, i really had fun writing this chapter, and some may call me evil but hey, the show doesn't give us a lot of Mac whump so we have to create our own.**

**Next, you know this but i will say it again. i do not own any of the recognizable characters, only the mistakes and the evil guys are mine.**

**Lastly, thanx to all the reviews and alerts, you guys rock! Also thanks to a very good friend of mine who allowed me to use his name. and trust me guys, the real Allan Thomas is not as evil as the one in the story. Enjoy!**

Lindsay sat staring at her phone. When was the last time she heard from Freddy? Not since she left school. Suddenly she started texting Freddy, telling him that she will meet him later that day. She just needed to get away from everything for a while, away from the haunting of Mac's empty office, the fear of him not coming back but the worst of all; she needed to get away from the knowledge of what Mac has been through over the last two days. Running away won't get rid of these feelings or emotions but at least it will give her some space to think, maybe she will figure out what she has been missing these last couple of days and the fact that she couldn't get in touch with Sheldon didn't help either. She spoke to Danny last night but he just smiled.

"I'm missing something!" Lindsay shouted at Danny. They were home for the night because they needed to look after Lucy. Danny looked up with a shocked expression on his face. He rarely heard Lindsay so angry.

"Sweetheart, listen. We just need to get a good night's rest and then we can figure it out together."

"I know, but – "

"No, no buts. Okay, this is killing me too. Mac is in trouble because of me and I don't even know why. I tried to think about cases that people died in but none of it matches what that *thing* said on the phone."

"Oh, Honey. I'm sorry. You're right, we will figure this out."

With that they had gone to bed neither of them sleeping, both with memories of that phone call haunting their imaginations.

Lindsay rubbed her face. As fate would have it, Lucy decided to ask if she could visit Uncle Mac after school. Her parents just looked at each other, Lindsay couldn't get herself to say anything and left Danny to tell their daughter that Mac had gone on a trip and won't be back for a while. Lucy wasn't happy but at least she didn't know the truth. And now this text from Freddy. What else is going to go wrong?

Danny walked into the break room looking for Lindsay and found her staring at her phone, deep in thought. He touched her shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry, Montana. Didn't mean to scare you." He smiled "Jo is going over what we have to try and figure this nonsense out." Lindsay got up and followed him out and they headed for the conference room.

Jo smiled as they walked in; it was evident that they had about the same amount of sleep. She looked at the other people around the table. "None of these people slept last night. My family needs their father back." Jo thought silently while holding Don's blue gaze in her own.

"OK, guys, let's see if we can figure out some of this mess. The crime scenes are first. Danny why don't you and Adam start on yours first."

Danny got up and walked to the board. He spoke while pinning pictures of the crime scene under the heading 'CRIME SCENE 1' on the board.

"We know that this guy died of natural causes. He had a heart attack. Adam ran all the evidence and nothing points to anything else. All the DNA samples and trace came back to the victim. No leads."

"I did some checking," Sid spoke up "Mr Hoff was supposed to be buried yesterday, but his body went missing out of the morgue downtown, earlier that same day."

"Yeah well, this scene smells like a distraction to me." Adam said, "All the evidence was planted. What about your scene Jo? Did you get your results back yet?" Jo nodded and stood up.

Jo walked up to the board as Danny sat down. Her pictures went under the heading 'CRIME SCENE 2'.

"Well, my crime scene was completely washed out. Someone used a fire hose on it. There was very little trace which came back to a dumpster so no leads there. The DNA was so watered down that it couldn't be used."

"Your body was also stolen, Jo." Sid looked at his notes. "The morgue 'happy funerals' said that they had a break in on the same day as Mr Hoff. The victim's name was Suzy Blue and she was 25 years old. She died of cancer."

Don barked a laugh, "Happy funerals, are you serious? Who calls a funeral happy?" This statement brought smiles and giggles to the table, breaking the tension some.

"Danny, one of the Techs gave me this to give to you. Apparently it's a grave number." Everybody looked up to the speaker at the door. "Uhmm, can anyone tell me where Mac is? What the hell is going on here?"

"Sheldon, welcome back. Maybe you should sit down."

Mac became aware of his surroundings very slowly. It was still pitch black and he couldn't hear anything. He remembered who the hell was this guy? What did he want with Danny? Was Danny here? Mac tried to get up but he couldn't. He felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder and he was stiff and sore all over.

Suddenly he was jerked to his feet and lead out of the room he was in. Even walking was agonizing but he clamped down on his teeth determined not to make a sound. He was pushed into a chair and is hands strapped onto the arm rests. His back stung and pulled as it made contact with the back of the chair, but he was not going to scream. His arm burned like fire and so did his fingers. He tried to flex some of them but he couldn't see if any moved.

"Hey, Taylor. You're a tough bastard aren't you?" The voice seemed slightly pissed off. "Well, I decided to leave you here. Freddy here is going to make sure you drink something and then you will sit here until I decide what is going to happen next."

Mac shivered suddenly, the voice had a mischievous sound to it. What is this guy thinking? Mac felt hands on his head and a cold cup to his mouth. Only then did he realise how hungry and thirsty he was. He took a big sip which was an equally big mistake. He started coughing as he choked and struggled to breathe. Someone made small movements on his back and the coughing stopped. The cup was once again by his mouth but this time he drank slower. He received a pat on the shoulder which was probably meant to be reassuring if it wasn't on the arm that hurt so much and Mac flinched. The hand disappeared. This left Mac even more confused. What kind of person will treat you as horrible as this guy and then have someone else treat you with sympathy? Mac decided that it must be a trick; actually he was sure of it.

Freddy pulled his hand away sharply as Taylor flinched. He knew something wasn't right by the way Taylor's body slumped in on itself. "What I wouldn't give to hear what you are thinking." With those words Freddy left, telling Shaun that he was done for the night. Shaun nodded and picked up the gun while moving into the room where Taylor was. Freddy closed his eyes, sighed and left.

Once he came to his crabby apartment he took his phone out from its hiding spot. He switched it on and immediately received a text; Lindsay would meet him for lunch. He looked at his watch; he had just over an hour. He took a quick shower and changed into the nicest clothes he had. Freddy walked out of his apartment with hope, maybe Lindsay could help him get out of this mess and then she could tell him about this guy and she could get in touch with his people and help him.

Freddy took a table by the window and waited for Lindsay to come. "Please let her help me."

After they told Sheldon everything that happened in the last few days, he was shocked into silence. This couldn't happen, not to Mac of all people. He didn't deserve this. He looked at Danny who was standing next to Lindsay. A thought came to mind and he spoke up for the first time.

"This isn't your fault you know that right?" Danny just looked at him, blue eyes meeting brown.

"I just wish I knew who this guy was and what he wanted, it would make things so much better."

"Well, it seems this guy knows you seeing as he definitely is targeting you. Question is why did he take Mac? Why is he punishing Mac when he wants you?" Sheldon voiced the question everyone was thinking about but hadn't had the heart to ask.

"I don't know, Sheldon. And it's killing me." Danny shook his head. He felt Don's hand on his shoulder.

"Look feeling sorry for what we don't know is not going to help." Don said softly, "we know that both the crime scenes was a set up and we know that the bodies were just for show. The robbery Mac and I was investigating was probably also a setup."

"What was the name of the guy that you went to talk to that day, Don?" Jo had an idea suddenly and she was looking through notes on the table looking for something.

"His name was Jordan Pinch. He was nowhere in sight in the alley and there was no sign of him at his house or work." He looked at everyone and then at Jo. He was sure the look on his face was the same as everyone else's: a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"Well, Adam has gone through the traffic videos close to that alley. The van that you saw driving away came back to a Jonathan Weir; one of his aliases is Jordan Pinch. He is associated with a guy called Phillip Thomas, does that name ring a bell?"

"Yes, it does!"

"Crap!"

Danny and Don both spoke together and Don jumped up! They looked at each other and Danny motioned for Don to start. Don nodded and went on:

"Phillip Thomas was and is one of the biggest crime bosses in New York. His father was Allan Thomas; he died a couple of months ago." He looked at Danny and nodded, noticing his friend looked slightly paler than he did a few minutes ago.

"I know who is behind this." That got everybody's attention, "I tried to arrest Allan Thomas, he ran and I chased him. We ended up on a roof, he was standing on the edge wanting to jump over to the next building but the gap was too wide. He fell trying to reach the other side. Thomas survived the jump but he was severely disabled. I didn't know that he died."

"Do you think his son Phillip is behind Mac's kidnapping?"

"He said I did something to him so he probably thinks that I'm responsible for his father's jump"

"Sounds like a bit of a stretch Danny." Sheldon spoke up, "I mean how does Mac fit into all of this and why hurt him so badly." He gestured to the photo of Mac on the display board.

"No, no I think Danny has a point." Lindsay was bouncing "He said, the man on the phone, he said that this is Newton's third law in action." When nobody answered he and only looked at her in confusion – everyone but Danny- she went on "Newton's third law states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, right?" when everyone in the room except Don nodded, she went on "Now if this jackass thinks that Danny is responsible for his father's injuries…"

"He will go after my father," Danny finished for her and Lindsay nodded, "as for the fact that they have Mac instead of my biological father, it's actually quite simple. Mac has been like a father to me since day one, I definitely love him like one so makes sense."

"Ok, it worth looking into." Jo took a deep breath "Sheldon see if you can find out anything about this Allan Thomas and his injuries. Sid, can you find out more about how he died?" Both of the men nodded and she went on "Don Look into the son, see if he has any known associates that might shed some light on his whereabouts, Lindsay you and Danny, see if you can find out more about this Jonathan Weir and his connection with the Thomas people. Adam you and I are going to look into that grave number that Danny found." Everybody nodded and left to go about their work.

"Hey, do you mind if I run out for a while?" Lindsay looked at Danny; she forgot that she didn't tell him about Freddy.

"Yeah sure," he frowned "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah no problem, I'll be back soon and bring you some lunch, ok?" He nodded at her and she kissed him on the check and left.

Lindsay walked into the coffee shop and looked around, she found Freddy sitting alone at a table staring into his coffee. He looked the same as always, a proper Monroe. Light brown hair, same brown eyes she looked at every morning in the mirror, fair skin and the lean body. But he also looked very different, older somehow. She waved at the petite waitress to indicate that she wanted a coffee and headed for the table.

"Hey stranger," she tapped Freddy on the shoulder and smiled as he jumped in his seat.

"Lind! Heya!" Freddy jumped up and grabbed her in a bear hug that had her gasping for air.

"Fred, I can't breathe, monkey." She laughed as he let go and sat down opposite him.

"Sorry freaky brain, it's just damn good to see you." He rubbed a hand through his longish hair.

"So what have you been up to?" Lindsay looked into his haunted eyes and on impulse she asked "What's wrong?"

"Oh, uhm, I've been working here and there, nothing great like you." He smiled, "and you? Anyone special in your life?"

Lindsay eyed him and smiled. Something was wrong with Freddy, he was fidgety, sweating bullets and now he just changed the subject.

"Oh yeah, there is. But I want to know what's wrong with you?" Freddy's head snapped up and what happened next will haunt her for a very long time. Freddy slammed his head on the table and started sobbing. Lindsay was just staring at him dumbstruck and then she moved closer, she slid in next to him and rubbed his back, similar to what she does for Lucy when she has a bad dream.

"Freddy, what's wrong? Tell me, I can help you!"

"I did something really bad Lind, and now I can't get out of it. Worst of all I have to see a man suffer, and I can't do a damn thing about it."

Lindsay felt her heart skip a beat, how did everything go so wrong for her cousin? He was so good with kids and had a clear path to becoming a teacher.

"What did you do Freddy?" she asked him softly,

"I drove a van that was filled with ivory," he looked her in the eyes, pleading, "I didn't know Lind, I swear, I didn't. I was doing a favour for a friend and …" Lindsay cut him off with a wave of her hand,

"If you didn't know then it was unintentional, I'm sure that you won't get into trouble. Now about the man that you see. Who is it? And why?"

"I don't know why, but Lindsay the guy is badly hurt. They whipped him and made him stand outside for a whole day. They don't even feed him properly….." Freddy stopped when he saw the look in Lindsay's eyes; her face was white and her eyes wide, "What?"

"His name, do you…" she had to clear her throat, "do you know his name?" Please she prayed, softly.

"I don't his real name, but Phillip calls him Taylor." He shifted in his seat to look at her. She started crying and she was smiling 'what the hell?' "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I know him. He's my boss and he's been missing for two days."

"SO you can help me to help him?" Freddy was getting excited; maybe there was still hope for him.

"Yeah we can help him." Lindsay said while taking out her phone, "but first we have to go in to the station and get some back up."

Mac was getting stiff in the chair he was sitting in. it has been a very long time since he heard anything and they just left him here. What was going to happen next? He wasn't sure he wanted to know. The sudden feeling of something on his collar, startled him more than what it should have. The next minute a current went through his body, contracting his muscles; he arched his back involuntarily which aggravated his back. Try as he might he couldn't bite back the scream that escaped his mouth. After an eternity the feeling stopped and he fell back into the chair breathing heavily.

"Messer put the phone down in my ear last night and that wasn't very nice. Now Taylor smile for the camera, I want to show him why he shouldn't fuck with me."

The current went through him again, and he screamed. Over and over again. Mac lost whatever sense he still had and welcomed the blackness as it cocooned him and took him into oblivion.

**So what do you think? yay or nay? pls pls pls R&R! wil try to update again soon, it all depends on my muse who keeps running away everytime i think about my NCIS story 'Where loyalites lie'. Anyway until next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Heya guys, i meant to have this up earlier but RL didn't want to play along. so here you go, it's slightly shorter but i had to end it where it ends. Thanx to all the reviews, alerts and favs. you guys still rock**

**Also i only own the wish that the recognisable characters are mine but sadly they're not. baddies and Freddy are mine though. without further delay, enjoy...**

By the time that Lindsay got back to the lab with Freddy in tow, she could see something wasn't right. Everybody looked tense and there wasn't anyone of the team in sight.

"This is weird. Where is everybody?" She shared a look with Freddy who looked really nervous and scared. Well she couldn't blame him.

Just as she rounded the corner to go the break room she heard a scream, some curses and a gasp, not one of them the same voice. Lindsay shot a panicked look at Freddy who just shook his head.

"They are at it again, Lind. They are hurting him again." Freddy had tears in his eyes when he saw the scene in the break room. What have I done? The only thought in his mind.

What he saw was a tall dark haired woman crying into a tall man's shoulder. There was an older man staring into the space just above the TV, a black guy was standing next to a blond man, the black man had his hands over his face while the blond was biting down on his closed fist. There was another man who just stood there crying openly. He had reddish hair with a beard. Lindsay walked in and walked straight to the blond and put her arms around his waist.

"Danny?" Is this what the guy looks like? What the hell?

"Lindsay, they, they….." Danny stammered. Lindsay took the phone from Danny and went to the farthest end of the room followed by Freddy. Nobody had said anything or acknowledged him. Whatever had been on the video had shocked them all into oblivion.

Lindsay took a deep breath and started the video.

"This is what you get for putting the phone down in my ear, Mr Messer! Let's see if your father enjoys your punishment." The video showed Mac tied to a chair with cables attached to a collar around his neck. Without warning Mac arched his back and his muscles contracted, the strain evident on the part of his face that's visible. The scream that came out of his mouth was almost inhuman, it made Lindsay flinch. Freddy put his arms around her shoulders, took the phone out of her hand pushed stop and pulled her into a hug.

"We have to go help him, Freddy."

"So let's go then freaky brain." The two cousins was completely oblivious to the looks of the people in the room behind them, Danny was even sporting an angry look. Don cleared his throat and the team stared in shock as the cousins turned around and faced them without letting go of each other. Lindsay caught the look on Danny's face and smiled through her tears.

"OK, this is awkward."

"You think?" Danny glared at Freddy, "who is this bozo?"

Lindsay looked at Danny, frustration showed in her face, 'Now is not the time.' She thought.

"This bozo, Messer, is my cousin. Freddy Monroe, meet my husband and the father of my daughter, Danny Messer. That is Don Flack, Jo Danville, Adam Ross, Sid Hammerback and Sheldon Hawkes. Guys this is the guy that is going to help us get Mac home where he belongs." Each of the team members nodded as their name was said and looked completely blown out of the water with Lindsay's last statement. Danny moved forward and shook Freddy's hand.

"Good to meet you. Sorry about earlier but I get kind of jealous." Freddy laughed

"Yeah, you should be. She was the cream of the crop back in Montana. But I will hopefully be able to tell you more about that a little later. Right now, I want to know if you are the guy Phillip wants."

The CSI's exchanged looks; looking puzzled except for Lindsay who knew the whole story.

"What?" Six voices asked in unison, which almost made Lindsay smile, almost. But in the circumstances that wouldn't be the best thing to do. She took a deep breath and explained as brief as possible.

"Phillip tricked Freddy here into working for him. He knows where Mac is also what has been done to him. He called me hoping that we would be able to help. Freddy didn't know that this case is personal; he just wants to help Mac. Now I know that you guys might not trust him and I don't expect you to but I trust him. Right now we have to get Mac back and we have to use all the help we can get." After her little speech she saw seven faces turned to her with mixed emotions but they all had one thing in common- determination.

"So what are we waiting for? Freddy tell us what we know so we can get this show on the road and bring our Mac home." Jo said rubbing her hands together in anticipation and looking more alive than what she had been two days ago. The rest of the team took her cue and started making plans. Don, Danny, Sheldon and Sid were questioning Freddy on location and condition of Mac. Adam, Jo and Lindsay started making plans too, but it had nothing to do with Mac's rescue…..

While the team was busy getting ready to get to rescue Mac, he was getting ready to give up. It just hurt too much. After the electrocution session he passed out and the goons threw water over him, hot water. He woke up (if you could call it that) to a world of burning and hurt. He couldn't even rub or hold on to whatever hurt, because he was tied to this damn chair so tightly he couldn't even move his wrists. So he was ready to just quit.

"Don't you even think about it Mac Taylor!" the sound of the voice made Mac stop breathing for a second. What the hell? I must be losing my mind, he thought.

"No you're not! I will not let you give up and let this bad breath mongrel win!" Mac laughed jip now I've lost it completely.

"Mac Taylor, it's bad enough that I have to get in your head to get your marine six in gear. Do not tempt me into slapping your brain to attention."

Mac smiled in his delirium, Claire would make any drill sergeant scared. 'What are you doing in my head, baby?'

"Don't patronize me, Mac. I am here to make sure that you get back to your family. Danny still needs you and so does the rest of your team."

'I can't do this anymore Claire. It's just too much.'

"No Mac! You can do this. I know you can, just a little while longer honey."

Just then something hit Mac in his stomach, making him groan. He felt his ribs snap under the pressure, suddenly he struggled to breath. He felt like he was drowning, his chest heavy.

'Claire?' even in his head his voice sounded small and weak, 'I can't'

"They're here baby, don't leave them now." He could almost feel her touching his face as he lost touch with the reality. The last thing he heard before a deeper darkness snatched him away was a voice that didn't have a face,

"Goodbye, Taylor."

When the team went through the door behind SWAT each held on to a hope born to them through experience. Working with Mac Taylor will give everyone that hope that everything will be alright. They moved in and after a very short gunfight they had three suspects in custody. Freddy ran passed all of them ignoring the glares he got from the suspects and moved straight to the room where Mac was in. Sheldon was right behind him fortunately.

Sheldon stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on Mac. It was one thing to see the videos and photo's but real life drove the nail home. He needed help and fast. Sheldon instructed Freddy to cut the ropes at Mac's feet while he went for the ones around his wrists.

"Mac? Can you hear me?" Sheldon called while looking for a pulse- the one he found was weak and jumpy. "Mac?" he tried again.

"I don't think he can hear you. I tried talking to him but he didn't respond. Phillip spoke to him through that mike over there." Freddy said pointing to the thing lying in the corner.

"Crap. Okay, I can take this off because I don't know what's underneath. He struggling to breath I think," Sheldon was talking why he probed Mac's abdomen and felt the bones under his fingers give way, "a rib punctured his lung." He expertly inserted a chest tube instantly easing Mac's breathing. Next he looked at his fingers and found that at least six are broken, but he wasn't too sure. His right collarbone looks broken, the wounds on his back is bad and inflamed. Where the hell is those paramedics?" he shouted, Sheldon was getting angsty. Mac needed to get to a hospital and fast.

Another couple of minute's later two medics came running in carrying a backboard and their equipment. They started working and taking vitals. Calling numbers that didn't really mean anything to Freddy but apparently it wasn't good because Sheldon went white. Soon they had Mac on a stretcher and were running towards the ambulance followed by Sheldon.

"I'll meet you guys at the hospital" he shouted just before the doors closed and the bus took off sirens blaring.

"I think we need to start processing. Jo why don't you and Lindsay go to the hospital and then Adam and I will process the scene?"

Jo looked at Danny, "You sure?" Danny nodded, "where did they go? What hospital?"

"Trinity." Freddy spoke up for the first time.

"OK, Freddy. Let's go, Danny call if you need us."

"OK, will do. Please phone us if you hear anything?"

"Sure," and with a wave the three got into the car and drove to the hospital, where their patience would be tested in the waiting game.

Danny and Adam started processing with a grim determination. This guy will get caught, and soon.

**SO? what you think? let me know pretty pls with cherries ontop? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Here you go! all those nice reviews made me update faster, LOL. i hope you enjoy this chapter. it's more sobby than action but don't fear i will have more action in the next chapter. thanx to all the reviewers and the new alerts, favs and followers, you rock!**

**None of the recognisable characters are mine, sadly. the evil guys and Freddy is mine though. also the song is the reason by hoobastank also not mine. listening to the song while reading the part in this chapter will give you the right !**

When Lindsay, Jo and Freddy arrived at the hospital they were met by Sheldon.

"They took him into surgery to clean the wounds on his back. Some of them were infected. They took the thing around his head off and found these little buggers in his ears." He lifted an evidence bag which contained two things that looked like hearing aids, "no wonder he didn't hear you Freddy. His eyes showed signs of chemical burns but we don't know from what. They cleaned it out and there shouldn't be any permanent damage but it will be painful for a while."

"Pepper spray." Freddy said softly and Sheldon made eye contact for the first time since he showed up with the girls.

"What?"

"When he first came there, they sprayed him with pepper spray to disorientate him. They didn't flush it out and just wrapped the bandage around. I didn't know about the ear pieces."

"Crap, well, all his injuries are being treated now so the only thing we can do is wait. One of the doctors will come see us as soon as they are done." He led the way to the chairs in the waiting room. The long wait was just beginning.

Mac stood in the waiting room looking at the four figures on the chairs. Three he recognized but not the fourth. Somehow he felt like he should have known him, but he didn't.

"Well are you going to leave them?"

Mac turned around to see his father standing behind him. "Dad?" Mac shook his head, "No, it can't be, you died."

"Yeah, I know son. But right now you have to live and standing around here is not going on with your life. You also need to know that Danny blames himself and that he needs you to be there for him."

"what? How?" Mac looked like a goldfish opening and closing his mouth. His father clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"And here I thought you were smarter than this. This is not your time son. Now go back and figure this out." With that his father gave him a shove that should have taken him to the ground, but instead of going down he went flying, everything passing in a haze until his 'ghostly' self slammed into his body and the pain hit with a vengeance. He felt the hands on his back and they left a trail of burning agony. He just didn't have the energy to do anything about it. He could feel himself breathing and that meant that there was a tube down his throat. 'What…..?' oh, now he remembered that last hit, he couldn't breathe. He actually couldn't remember anything after that. He felt strangely relaxed and calm. He could feel the hands working on his back, the pain was agonizing but he couldn't move away of flinch at all, all he could do was lie there in darkness. He knew he was in the hospital because nowhere on earth could the smell of disinfectant and medicine as much as a hospital. The last of his energy depleted he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

How long Lindsay and Jo sat in the waiting room they didn't know. The doctor came out and called for 'Detective Taylor's family'. Everyone but Freddy stood up and walked towards him.

"We just finished cleaning the wounds on his back and we will be giving him some antibiotics to counter the infection which isn't too bad at the moment. Trying to nip it in the butt so to speak. Det. Taylor also have a sprained ankle, some broken fingers, two broken ribs one of which nicked his lung, a couple badly bruised, a broken collarbone, a dislocated shoulder, a chemical burn around his eyes, his back has got some serious whip damage but all that should heal in time. He has bruises, cuts and some very small burns all over his body which given time will also disappear without permanent damage. His larynx was damaged and there was deep bruising around his throat. All in all it sounds much worse than what it is and he should recover without complications."

A huge sigh of relief was heard all around the eager faces of the people in front of the doctor also of the two new faces that came in while the doctor was talking.

"Can we see him?" Jo just had to make sure that he was indeed fine.

"He is in recovery now, give him an hour or two and then we work it from there. He will be moved into a private room as per request from Chief Sinclair so you guys can stay with him as much as you want to as long as you stay out of the way of the nurses." After a couple of handshakes the doctor left with the gratitude of the team smiling at each other.

"OK, I'm sure we don't all have to stay but I know you so how about we divide into groups and take it from there?"

"Sounds like a plan. We still have to go after Phillip and with the evidence we collected in that house we should be able to put him away for a while."

"He won't give up." Freddy said softly, which made everyone turn around and look at him. He looked them each in the eye. "Phillip won't give up. He will try again until he either kills you or your boss. You need to stop him before he strikes again."

The team nodded but Don spoke up, "well we have evidence, now if we had a witness…." Don looked meaningfully at Freddy, who sported a small smile,

"Well, you got one of those too."

Lindsay gasped, "What?"

"I will turn state's witness or testify or whatever you want me to do, as long as I can help to put that bastard away where he belongs." He smiled at the team, briefly before a sad look crossed his face.

"Why are you guys doing this? After what I did, why do you still help me?" to this statement the team exchanged looks but it was Jo who answered.

"Let me explain something to you Freddy. We are more than just a team, we are a family. We help family even if they do something stupid, actually especially when they do something stupid. Now before you tell me that you are not part of this family, let me tell you, the minute you decided to help Mac even if you didn't know him and when you risked not only your freedom but also your life for someone that belongs to this family, you belong in this family." Jo walked up to him pulled him into a hug then kissed him on the cheek, "thank you, for saving his life." She whispered in his ear.

Freddy looked at the others with tears in his eyes. His gaze was met with smiles, his words stopped in his throat and he had to clear it to say a soft, "thank you"

"Let's get this started, Danny and Lindsay, can you guys stay with Mac first? I need to get to Ellie and make sure that the lab is still standing. Besides some of them would like to hear the good news..."

"No problem, Lucy is at aftercare till later and the nanny will pick her up tonight."

"Ok, I will spell you tonight." Sheldon said.

"Mind if I join you?" Sid joined the party to which Sheldon nodded eagerly not wanting to be alone during the night

"Freddy and I will take a trip downtown so we can make this whole little thing official, but do you mind if we grab something to eat?" Don looked at Freddy pleadingly.

Freddy couldn't help but laugh at Don's childish pout "Sure, no problem. I'm pretty starved myself."

"Ok, then let's get going because here is the nurse and we don't have much time left today. Tomorrow we can start the search for Phillip Thomas. With nods all round, the team split up and went about their business. Lindsay smiled at Freddy encouragingly trying to reassure him. He would be fine with Don so she wasn't worried about that but she felt that she needed to send him some support.

Walking into Mac's room both Lindsay and Danny settled themselves into two chairs with Lindsay putting her hand on Mac's arm. "We're here Mac; you just rest and get better. We'll be here." The two settled in for the long haul. After an afternoon of quiet conversation and the occasional stolen nap, not much has changed. Sid and Hawkes knocked softly, causing Danny to look up. He was thinking about this whole situation during the afternoon and couldn't help the guilt hitting him square in the chest, he had to make it right somehow, he just had to make it up to Mac.

Danny sat next to Mac's bed. He had asked the others to give him a couple of minutes alone. The man on the bed was pale and the only indication that he was alive was the rise and fall of is chest even if it was with help from the ventilator. His body showed the bruises vividly over his exposed abdomen. His fingers were in splints and his shoulder wrapped tightly to protect his broken collarbone. He had small burns all over his body, his ankle was also wrapped tightly, and luckily it was more sprained than broken. There was a thick bandage around his throat. His eyes were taped shut to give them chance to heal, apparently pepper spray can create serious burns if not treated and left as long as Mac's, well it created not just some ugly looking burns, it also dried out his eyes and it was extremely painful.

Danny put his hand on Mac's arm. He was just staring at Mac when words to a song popped into his mind. Funny how he told Lindsay that it sounded silly and now that same song meant so much to him,

_"I'm not a perfect person_

_There are many things I wish I didn't do_

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know"_

"Mac, you hired me with all my nonsense. Even when everyone warned you not to. I didn't have the clean background other people had, I wish that I could undo somethings I've done. But you helped me through everything."

_"I found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you"_

"Mac, you showed me that I don't have to be a bad ass. That there is another way to do things, a better way."

_"I'm sorry that I hurt you_

_It's something I must live with everyday_

_And all the pain I put you through_

_I wish that I could take it all away_

_And maybe be the one that catches all your tears_

_That's why I need you to hear"_

"Mac, this whole mess is my fault. I caused this and maybe one day I will deserve your forgiveness. If could I would take it away, I would have taken your place without a moment's hesitation. I would have stopped this pain and hurt. But I need to tell you, Mac, the lab still needs you."

_"I found a reason to show_

_A side of me you didn't know_

_A reason for all that I do_

_And the reason is you."_

"Mac, you are like a father to me. You showed me the ropes to make the best of everything not just to be a good CSI but also to be a good father to Lucy. Everything I have become is thanks to you. Mac please, I need you to come back. I need you to fight, for Lindsay and Don and Jo and Adam and Hawkes and Sid and little Lucy but also for me. Freddy also wants to meet you, he wants to shake your hand and explain some things." Danny looked down at his watch, "I have to go now. I have to catch this bastard and I promise you that he will never hurt anyone else again. Get well soon Mac." With that he got up and left.

Sid and Sheldon settled in for the night, each with a cup of coffee in hand. First they just sat in silence, their gazes fixed on the still form of their mentor, friend and boss. Then Sid started chuckling, and Sheldon threw him a questioning look.

"Sorry, Sheldon. I was just thinking of the time when Mac hid in the morgue when that women chased him all over the lab looking for his number." Both men laughed softly. Sheldon spoke up and his voice was hoarse, evidence that he was struggling with a lump in his throat,

"I feel so helpless. He helped me when I was down and out, stood by me when I got injured and even listened to me complain about all the unfairness in this world. Now I can't even help him! Sid I can't do anything for him, it's just not right." Sheldon ran out of steam and wiped his eyes. Through his little tirade Sid kept an eye on Mac but also kept silent, letting the younger man get the feelings off his chest.

"Then we are already doing all we can. Sheldon, you know as well as I do that it's all up to Mac now, we're just on the ride for support." He broke off suddenly and moved to Mac's side. He was turning his head and frowning as if looking for something. The bandages around his eyes were removed but the burn still looked painful and angry. Of his eyes opened and the other one followed sluggishly. Sid moved closer and called out to him, talking to him in a soft voice. Mac's eyes seemed a little out of focus but he tracked the voice easy enough. He tried to talk but only noises came out.

"Mac, don't talk. You're on a ventilator to help you breath, you're in the hospital. Blink once if you understand me." Mac blinked once, but it was with a huge effort. "Sheldon see if you can get Mac's doctor. Mac the doctor will be here soon." Mac blinked again.

As Mac looked up at the voice, his tired brain throwing names all over the place, eventually he managed to drag Sid's name from the hundreds of names. For a brief second he thought if he was in the morgue because Sid was talking to him and even Hawkes was here, but that was ridiculous right? The doctor came in a couple of minutes later, and after a short examination, he injected a pain killer into the IV he left. Another minute or two and Mac fell into another slumber, leaving two very relieved doctors smiling. The two doctors settled in again to continue their vigil over their injured friend sharing stories about the man on the bed. The soft sound of their voices worked like a lullaby to Mac giving him a feeling of safety and peace. Hopefully this nightmare can end now. That was his last thought before giving in to the welcoming blackness.

Somewhere in another part of the city, a man was getting a phone call. He smiled as the phone went dead. Three people that needed elimination, one at the cop shop, one at the crime lab and another at Trinity, room 512.

**So what do you think? those reviews make me feel really good and the muse LOVES them - if you get my drift! till next time, Flea.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry you had to wait so long but i got kidnapped and some of the CSi's in NY had to come find me and then my cats ate my laptop...What? don't you believe me? LOL, enjoy the next chapter. Thanx to everyone who read my one shot _A Salute _ . pls go and read it if you havent it says thanx to all the medics out there.**

**I own the mistakes and bad guys nothing else.**

The hospital got fairly used to the people coming in and out of the detective's room over the last day or two. They would always come in pairs and the detective would never be alone even if he slept most of the time. Mac was still on the ventilator as his lung healed and was therefore sedated to help his body relax so the healing process could be easier. After he woke up with Sid and Hawkes, Mac woke up a total of three times. Once with Jo there, once with Don and the last time Christine had come by. They were still seeing each other and she was devastated to hear that he was hurt. She fell into routine with the rest of the team as she had the restaurant to look after.

Lindsay and Danny had come in a couple of minutes earlier and were having a quiet conversation about whether or not to tell Lucy about her godfather when Lindsay felt a weak squeeze on her hand. She looked up and met ocean eyes looking at her. She smiled and pressed the call button.

"The doctor will be here shortly." Lindsay squeezed Mac's hand, mindful of the broken fingers. He blinked once showing he understood, he looked at Lindsay and frowned.

"They will probably take it out soon, you need to be patient." He blinked again grateful for the fact that Lindsay knew what he meant. This tube was damn annoying. With that thought the doctor came in smiling.

"Well Mr Taylor looks like you are more with us this time." Mac blinked, "your breathing looks good so we will remove the tube. On the count of three I want you to exhale as hard as you can, ok?" Mac blinked again. "Right then, one, two, and three." Mac exhaled and the tube came out. The doctor scooped some ice chips into his mouth and he relished in the taste and the coolness of the ice as it soothed his aching throat.

"I need to ask you a few questions, if you are up to answering them?"

"Okay." Mac's voice was a whisper, the pain evident in his soft croak.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Mac Taylor"

"Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital"

"And where is that?"

"New York"

"Do you know what year it is?"

"2012"

"Good, do you remember what happened?"

"Taken?" he sounded uncertain and locked eyes with Danny who looked away. Mac frowned.

"Close enough. You have been seriously injured and so far I don't think there will be any permanent damage. With rest you will be back on your feet in no time at all."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, now I want you to be honest with me and rate your pain level from 1 to 10. 10 being the highest."

"8" He was honest, he felt every muscle in his body, every bone that wasn't where it was supposed to be. His head was killing him and his back felt slightly numb but he could tell that if and when the pain killers wore off, he was going to go mad with pain.

"Ok, I will give you something now and then when you need it." Mac just nodded, he was tired.

"Here you go," the doctor said as he injected the meds into Mac's IV port. Mac felt it almost immediately.

"Danny?" The voice that called out was nothing like the normal bass that was the owner's own but the command was unmistakable. Danny's head shot up and looked at Lindsay for help. She just shook her head and moved away.

"Yeah, Mac?"

"It…is…..not…..your…..fault." Mac was speaking slowly and a little slurred but he kept eye contact with Danny.

"Yeah it is Mac. But we don't worry about that now. You, uhm you just get better." He cleared his throat but couldn't look at Mac. He lifted his hand and despite have three broken fingers on his hand grabbed Danny's forearm and squeezed as hard as he could.

"It was not your fault." Mac said again, breathing hard now, his heart monitor was going bonkers; he broke into a cold sweat. Lindsay tried to calm him down but he refused to listen to hear staying focused on Danny.

Danny was panicking, Mac was frantically trying to get his breathing under control but the alarms went off and within a couple of seconds nurses came in and tended to Mac. Lindsay and Danny moved to the corner as the doctor came in and added a sedative to his IV to get him to calm down. As soon as he was sure that Mac was sleeping he turned around to face the Messer's with anger in his eyes.

"If you want to stay here, I suggest you do not upset my patient. Otherwise I will have you removed no matter who wants you to stay. Do I make myself clear?"

Too shocked to find the words to say anything, the two Messer's just nodded and stood staring after the doctor. Danny finally moved forward and took Mac's limp hand in his. Lindsay looked on as her husband broke down as cried. She wanted desperately to hold him close, to console him as he cried but he needed to work things out himself. She just hoped that he would be able to forgive himself even if it was for something he wasn't responsible for. With that thought she left the two men in her life and went down to the cafeteria for coffee. Something told her that this was going to be a long night.

CSINY

Phillip walked into the hospital looking like a regular Joe. He sported new blond hair, and a beard he had grown over the last couple of days. Sure it couldn't really classify as a beard and he wasn't really Chuck Norris but the stubble was a good mask. He knew he probably should have sent one of his people but he wanted to be the one to kill the two bastards that had ruined his perfect life and family. He was glad he sent someone to take care of the snitch that means that everyone on his list will make an exit soon preferably today and then he could go on with his life in peace. He almost smiled when he saw Lindsay Messer walk out of the room he knew had one of his enemies in. if the female was here then so was her sewage rat of a husband, this day just keeps getting better and better. He extended his hand, grabbed the door handle, turned it and slipped silently into the room unseen.

CSINY

Freddy had already spoken to Don and made a full confession. Right now he was waiting to talk to one of the lawyers that were involved in helping him. No charges were pressed against him but he needed to make a confession so that he could be seen as someone with a conscience according to Don.

Freddy really liked these people. The whole team worked like a family, they were close. The man he only knew as Taylor was a good man, the team has told him stories of the man over the last couple of days and from that he could see how much these guys cared about him. And the guilt trip was a very long one. The more he heard about the guy the guiltier he felt.

"And that should be all." Finally Freddy thought although he smiled on the outside. He stood up and left the room with the lawyer. He waved him off at the door and walked through the precinct again heading for Don's desk. When he got there Don was on the phone and he was smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, he just got here."

"Nope, he still standing"

"Yeah, ok, yeah I'll tell him."

"Ok, sure thing Linds. Thanks for calling. Give him our love."

He put the phone down and looked up at Freddy. From the one ended conversation he heard it sounded like good news add that to Don smiling like a Cheshire cat and voilà.

"Mac woke up this morning and he is off the ventilator."

"That's good news." Freddy was relieved even if he didn't know the guy. He meant a lot to Lindsay and she helped him so that was as good a reason as any.

"So how did it go with the law?"

"It went ok. Seems like there won't be any charges but because I am State's witness, I had to make a signed confession do it can be included. Apparently they want to cover all the bases."

Don listened and nodded, showing his agreement with the decision. Before he could reply though the doors to the precinct flew open and four masked men came running in brandishing semi-automatic handguns. Before long and after a very very short gunfight, Don and Freddy was locked in an interrogation room with the blinds drawn and one of the gunmen pointing his gun at Freddy.

"Time to say good night."

CSINY

Jo found Lindsay smiling in the cafeteria; she was talking animatedly on her phone. She waved at her and Lindsay waved her over and motioned for her to sit down.

"Thanks for all your help Don."

"Ok yeah, sure I will. Bye."

Jo waited patiently for Lindsay to finish up on the phone and smiled. She could just picture Don sitting at his desk leaning back in his chair; she always spoke to him about that.

"One of these days you will fall on your ass," She told him once and he just laughed saying he was way too practiced for that to happen. Mac was with them that day; they had gone down to interrogate a suspect. Mac just laughed in his usual soft way. Jo got a tear in her eye as she remembered his voice as he said "Jo, you can't teach an old dog new tricks and our little dog here is way too old to learn." The three laughed as Mac had to dodge a stapler coming his way from Don' hand. It was just two weeks ago and look what happened now.

"Jo, Jo, are you ok?" Lindsay tried to get her friend's attention.

"Oh sorry, my mind was miles away." Jo shook her head, "You want coffee? I could sure use a good cup right about now." She got up as Lindsay nodded and moved to the counter to pay for the coffees. She walked slowly to their table.

"How are you holding up?" Lindsay smiled

"I'm fine, it's just hard to see him like that, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm so used to the big bad strong Mac Taylor and now he looks so weak."

Jo nodded her agreement.

"He woke up this morning." Lindsay spoke softly, looking down into her coffee cup.

"What happened? You don't look to happy about it?"

"He spoke to Danny." Jo could see tears in the same eyes which were smiling not too long ago. She didn't want to force Lindsay to say anything but something was really bothering her.

"And?" Jo reached out and took Lindsay's hands. Lindsay lifted her eyes and tortured eyes met Jo's.

"He told Danny that this whole thing wasn't his fault. Of course Mac would be thinking of everybody else even if he was hurt."

"Wait, Danny blames himself?" Jo asked not believing what she was hearing.

"Yeah, he said if it wasn't for him, Mac would be fine and not in here. After his brother Danny doesn't really like hospitals."

Before Jo could say anything, Christine walked up and greeted them both.

"Hey guys, did I interrupt something?"

"No you didn't."

"Nope."

The two women spoke together and Christine was once again reminded of how much these people are a family instead of co-workers.

"You here to see Mac?" Lindsay asked and Jo could see the tears of earlier disappearing.

"Yes, but his door is closed. So I thought the nurses or doctors must be busy with something."

"No, I don't think so; they were there just before I came down here. Danny was in there, did you see him?"

"No, he wasn't anywhere in sight." Lindsay looked at Jo and the two detectives shared a look that clearly said that they were thinking the same thing: Something wasn't right. They got up and told Christine to call Don or Sheldon. The elevator ride back up to Mac's floor was quiet, all three women busy with their own thoughts.

They stepped off the elevator and headed down to Mac's room. Just as Jo put her hand on the knob to turn it with her other hand on her gun, a gunshot went off from inside the room followed by two more. Screams erupted around them as nurses ducked and pulled patients with them. Jo threw open the door and was greeted with lots of blood and three grown men lying on the floor, all of them bleeding and one heart stopped as one man lost his life.

**I will be running away now...pls r & r**


	9. Chapter 9

**Heya, guys. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but real life kept me busy. Thanks to all the readers, reviewers, followers and those of you that favourited this story; it was great to hear from all of you. Well all good things must come to an end, and it's time for this one to end as well. Thank you to my beta, C. Nichole for making sure the story is edited and improved.**

**I don't own any of the recognizable characters, only Phillip, Freddie and the evil shooters at the precinct.**

Previously:

Jo, Christine and Lindsay stepped off the elevator and headed down to Mac's room. With one hand on her gun and one on the knob, Jo went to open the door, and immediately heard a gunshot from inside the room, followed by two more. Screams erupted around them as nurses ducked and pulled patients down with them. Jo threw open the door and was greeted with lots of blood and three grown men lying on the floor, all of them bleeding and one whose heart had stopped- one man had lost his life.

Present:

Jo rushed into the room heading first to the unfamiliar man lying on the floor to kick his gun away. Lindsay made a beeline for Danny who was desperately trying to get up. Christine blanched at the site and smell of the blood in the room, but when she saw Mac on the floor bleeding, she went straight to him.

"Danny, lie down. You've been shot!" Lindsay was on her knees next to him with her hand on the shoulder wound, blood running through her fingers.

"Mac, help Mac. I'm fine!" he said, but laid back down as the pain in his shoulder flared. Lindsay glanced over at Jo as she bent down to feel the stranger's pulse. Jo sighed and straightened up, looking at Lindsay she shook her head. The unidentified man was dead.

Christine's sobs finally broke through the deafening silence that permeated the room, causing Jo to run to the door to call for help, while Lindsay exchanged Danny's side for Mac's. There was a new gash along his jaw line and the wounds on his back were bleeding profusely. Mere seconds later, the room was filled with doctors and nurses and the two CSIs along with Christine were ushered out of the room by an orderly.

Danny was whisked away to the OR to get the bullet out of his arm, while another gurney left Mac's room carrying the dead body. Christine was sobbing into Jo's shoulder as the door opened and a doctor came out to speak to the two ladies.

"He will be fine, "the doctor said, trying to calm the women, "the wounds on his back reopened and we had to stitch them up again. It appears that a bullet grazed his jaw, but I cannot be sure until we know what happened in there. We are going to move him to another room as I believe that you would like to process this room, am I right?"

"Yes, doctor, we would. It is a crime scene after all." Jo hated the idea of once again having to process a scene where Mac was the victim. "Thank you, doctor." He shook her hand and left to oversee the transfer of his patient.

Just as the gurney left the room, Lindsay came back from checking on Danny. Jo watched as they wheeled her friend to another room, with Christine walking behind the nurses hoping they would allow her to see him. Jo caught Lindsay wiping a tear and pulled the younger woman into a hug.

"It's ok; he's going to be fine," she whispered in Lindsay's ear while rubbing her back gently as she cried, "How's Danny?"

Lindsay looked at Jo with a tear streaked face, "He went in for surgery to take out the bullet. They think that there will be some nerve damage, but will only be sure when he wakes up." She sniffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"See, he is going to be fine. Now I am going to phone Adam and Hawkes to do the processing. Why don't you get in touch with Sid, so he can tend to the body? We need to find out who he is." Lindsay nodded, going for her phone when suddenly it rang in her hand.

"Hello?" Jo watched her face go pale and her hands start shaking, "Yeah, thanks, Don. No, no we're still at the hospital…no, someone tried to kill Mac; no no, he's fine, and Danny was there. Listen we'll talk when you get here. Fine, yeah thanks."

Jo looked at Lindsay questioningly. Lindsay, on the other hand, was staring at her phone and had a little frown between her eyes. She looked up and met Jo's worried expression.

"There was a shooting at the precinct. A couple of men came in and started shooting up the place. They ended up taking Don and Freddie hostage in an interrogation room." Lindsay's brown eyes watered again and she took a deep breath, "They shot at him, Jo. They wanted to kill him." Jo closed the distance and took the younger woman in her arms once again, holding her shaking frame in a strong hug. She was comforting her when Adam ran up to them.

"I was in the neighbourhood when you called. Is Mac ok? What about Danny? Lindsay? What's wrong?" Jo sighed; Adam was a brilliant scientist, but when he became nervous or excited, he'd go into full blown babble mode. He stopped talking when Sheldon stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Give them chance to answer, Adam," the older man said with a smile.

"Mac is fine, they had to stich his back again; Danny got a bullet in his arm – he's in surgery now. Someone tried to kill Freddie at the police station." Jo kept everything short as she spotted a doctor walking towards the group.

"Doctor?" That got everybody's attention. The doctor had his poker face on and Jo could feel her heart sink.

"I took the liberty of checking on Mr. Messer before I came to talk to you and according to my colleague, he is doing fine. They retrieved the bullet and are busy cleaning up. A nurse will come get you when he is settled, Mrs. Messer." Lindsay's smile couldn't get bigger. The doctor continued, "Detective Taylor sustained a few more bruises and the cut along his jaw required a couple stiches as well, but he will make a full recovery. We moved him into a double room and as soon as Mr. Messer comes out of recovery we will move him into the same room."

"Thank you, Doctor." Sheldon shook the other doctor's hand and the group visibly relaxed.

"We need to find out who was in the room and then we need to find this Phillip-asshole. I have this very funny feeling that he is behind this whole thing." Jo started dividing the work between the CSIs and they got to it.

The time flew, and by the time the scene was processed, Danny was in the room with Mac and neither showed any sign of waking up. Christine sat next to Mac, clinging to his hand and the position was exactly the same on the other side of the room with Lindsay. Lindsay spoke to Danny occasionally, telling him of Lucy and how much she loved him. Christine, on the other hand, kept her conversation quiet, conveying her feelings with her hands and the look in her eyes. There was a soft knock on the door and the two women looked up to see Don standing there. Lindsay got up and flew into his arms. As she looked over his shoulder, she saw Freddie talking to Jo. She untangled herself from Don and ran over to Freddie.

"Hey, Freaky Brain. Shh, it's ok, I'm fine. Don pushed the guy away before he could shoot me. He's in jail now." He rubbed her back up and down as she cried. She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes,

"I just found you, Monkey. I don't want to lose you again," she whispered to him and he smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere, honey. You are not getting rid of me that easily." She laughed at his silly expression. Lindsay wiped a hand over her eyes and pulled him with her as she walked back to the room that held her husband and friend.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Adam, Jo and Hawkes went back to the lab to process the evidence from the hospital, while Don went back to the station to interrogate the shooter and his friends. Sid was busy with the autopsy. They all agreed that they would go back to the hospital the next day to go over the results, giving the women time with their loved ones. Freddy felt like a third wheel, but ended up doing a coffee run where he ran into a nurse from the paediatric ward and they got talking. He stopped only long enough to give Christine and his cousin their coffees before making his way to the children's ward. He ended up playing with the children and helping the nurses by keeping some of the children busy – leaving them with more time on their hands to see to the more critical children.

It was slightly after one in the morning that an exhausted Freddy came back down to the floor where Mac and Danny were. He looked through the window and saw his cousin fast asleep on her arms on the side of her husband's bed and Christine sleeping in the chair next to Mac, still clinging to his hand for dear life. He went to the nurses' station and got two blankets. He softly opened the door and covered Christine first and then moved to Lindsay. He turned to go to the last unoccupied chair in the room, but froze when he heard a soft, hoarse voice call him. He turned to find Danny looking at him.

"Thank you," Danny whispered.

Freddie frowned at him, "For what?"

He moved closer to the bedside. Danny motioned to Lindsay with his head.

"The blanket, for Mac. Everything." He swallowed and Freddie held a cup of water to his mouth.

"It's my pleasure. Don't worry, everything will be fine now." Freddie gave Danny a smile which Danny returned. He closed his eyes and fell asleep again. Freddie moved over to stand next to Mac and took in the features of the man lying on the bed. His face wasn't as bruised as it was a couple of days before, but the cut along his jaw looked sore.

"I told you I'd help you." He whispered and then moved to the chair and sat down. He smiled as he took out his phone to save the number the cute paediatric nurse had given him, before settling in to keep a silent vigil over the four people in the room.

The morning came in bright and way too fast. Freddie blinked in the morning light that came through the window. He smiled as he saw Lindsay standing in front of him with coffee in her hands.

"Good morning, sleepy head." She handed him the coffee which he accepted gratefully.

"Morning, Freaky brain." He took a sip, but almost choked when Danny spoke up.

"Thank goodness, he was snoring us all awake." Freddie looked at him and smirked when Lindsay softly punched him on his uninjured shoulder.

"It wasn't that bad," Christine spoke up.

"Thank you!" Freddie bowed in her direction. The laughter dried up when they heard a soft voice speak up.

"You guys make way too much noise." Mac's voice caused everyone to turn to him. Christine recovered first and bent down to kiss him softly,

"How do you feel?" She glanced briefly at Lindsay who called the nurse.

"Sore, where is the damn truck that ran me over?" Mac looked at Freddie and frowned, but before he could say anything the nurse came in to check his vitals. After she was satisfied she called in two more nurses and together they turned Mac onto his side to check his wounds. A while later they were finished and the rest of the group came in- they were glad to see both men awake.

"Well, that's just like Mac. Wake up just in time for the case to be wrapped up," Jo laughed.

"I am happy to announce," Sheldon started, acting like a referee at a boxing match, "that the case is now over and everything can go back to normal."

"You caught Phillip?" Freddie asked with hope in his voice, which in turn made Mac frown- he knew that voice.

"No, Danny killed him," Sid said. "he was the guy in the room yesterday." Everybody clapped hands and Freddie wiped a tear off his face. The nightmare was really over, finally. After everyone had calmed down and explained what they knew about how things played out, Mac called Freddie over. The room went quiet, Freddie walked over slowly.

"You helped me." It was a simple statement, said softly.

"Yes, I tried." Freddie swallowed, "I'm sorry I couldn't do it sooner…" Mac silenced him with a look.

"I told Danny before and I am telling you now – it wasn't your fault. None of this could have been prevented by any of you." He took a deep breath and continued, "Phillip wanted revenge and no one was going to stop him."

Mac yawned. Christine got up and said, "Okay, enough for today, you guys. Let's give them a rest." With the last goodbyes spoken and hugs all round, everybody left to go their own way- leaving Mac and Danny alone.

"Mac," Danny started but was stopped by Mac,

"Messer, if you are going to apologize save your breath. I don't want to hear it." Danny was shocked into complete silence.

"I don't want to hear it, because I don't blame you. This wasn't your fault." Mac yawned again. "You hear me Messer?"

Danny answered with a smile, "I heard ya, Mac." With that he fell into a restful sleep – everything was going to be fine.

**An epilogue is coming your way so stay tuned. Please let me know what you think. CSIflea.**


	10. Chapter 10: the epilogue

A couple of months down the road saw Mac and rest of the team at their favourite diner. They were celebrating the fact that Mac was finally coming back to work. Freddie was also there with his new girlfriend, Michelle, the paediatric nurse from the hospital. Don sat next to Jo, holding hands; Lindsay and Danny were looking at each other with love- they had just broken the news that they were expecting their second child. Adam and Kendall were also there, along with Sheldon and his girl and Sid with his wife. Life was going great.

Freddie had gotten off with a suspended sentence and was able to get a job teaching at a public school. Mac had helped by putting in a good word with the principal. He explained to Lindsay that it was his way of saying thanks to Freddie for saving his life.

The group enjoyed the evening and things got rather noisy, but nobody complained. The deserts came and Christine looked up surprised as the waiter put a bowl of ice cream in front of her. It took her a while to notice the sparkling ring on top of the cherry. The rest of the table did see it, however, and everybody went very quiet; finally she caught sight of it, and looked at Mac to find him on one knee next to her. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears of happiness flowed down her cheeks.

"Christine, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes, Mac Taylor. I thought you'd never ask." The table erupted with cheers and wolf whistles.

The waiters were kind enough to clear some space for a dance floor and the couples made their way over to it. Mac and Christine didn't pay any attention to anyone else. A song began to play and Mac sang with the words softly, just loud enough for Christine to hear:

"_Tell me can you feel my heart beat_

_Tell me as I kneel down at your feet_

_I knew there would come a time_

_When these two hearts would entwine_

_Just put your hand in mine_

_Forever_

_For so long I have been an island_

_When no-one could ever reached these shores_

_And we've got a whole lifetime to share_

_And I always be there, darling this I swear."_

As they swayed to the slow song and Christine put her head on Mac's chest, listening to his heartbeat, thinking how close she came to losing him. Her eyes filled with tears once again as she listened to words he was softly singing in her ear,

"_So please believe me_

_For these words I say are true_

_And don't deny me_

_A lifetime loving you_

_And if you ask will I be true_

_Do I give my all to you_

_Then I will say I do."_

Christine knew that she could believe Mac, even though the words were not his own. She trusted him completely; she loved him more than anything in the world.

"_I'm ready to begin this journey_

_Well I'm with you with every step you take_

_And we've got a whole lifetime to share_

_And I'll always be there_

_Darling this I swear."_

Christine looked up at Mac and smiled. The song finished in the background as she looked into his ocean-coloured eyes, "I'm ready for that journey too, Mac."

Their lips locked together and everything else melted away. In that moment, nothing else existed.

**There you go. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. Keep an eye out for my other stories; me and my awesome beta are busy editing the older chapters and replacing them. Again, I don't own any of the characters that are from the show, and as much as I would love to own the song, unfortunately I don't. Song is 'I do' by the lovely, Westlife. Thanks, C. Nichole for the awesome beta work.**


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